When openBC changed its name to XING last fall, it became clear that the openBC Book needed an update. To put it succintly, the openBC Book had to become the XING Book. Both Heise publishers and Stephan Lamprecht, the author, were immediately up for it. Now it’s finally on its way: This Friday, April 27th, “XING – Das Buch” will be available online and will arrive in German stores shortly thereafter.

Like its predecessor the openBC book, the XING book is a detailed user’s manual. It explains how to make the most out of your XING membership, and includes all the new functions and features introduced since the relaunch. Interviews with XING users round out the book.

If you are curious about the book (and if you read German) you can get a taste here. Read the excerpt and let us know what you think:

If you want to send us more detailed feedback, feel free to use the comment function.

Cindy Lu, XING China:
The XING China Team organized its first ever outdoor sports event in Beijing on April 21. Seven Chinese XING groups took part in the day’s events: E-salon (English training and business networking group), Easy Weekend Beijing (sports and lifestyle group for members in Beijng), Yoga (Yoga fans’ group), I love wine (wine and lifestyle group), Dancing (dancing and business networking group), 30 party (white collar after work entertainment), and Startup and investment club.

We started at 10:30, with more than 50 members who were then divided into five different teams. Each team then competed in gymnastics, modern pentathlon, rowing, “push-and-pull” and other sports. XING China had designed all the activities to make sure that they were easy, funny and interactive. In a break between the matches, there was some singing and dancing and members exchanged small gifts. The day ended at around 3:00 pm, in a great atmosphere.
To see more photos click here.

Yay!

I know this is a little bit of self promotion but anyhow, we’re proud as a winner can be. Last night in Berlin we  received an award for the innovative PR strategy “openBC becomes XING".

Sitting in the audience and listening to the accolades brought back memories: it was a late Friday night and after a very exhausting week I only wanted to go home and relax on my lounge when Lars told me that a blogger found out openBC´s new name...the rest was like a movie, but played in fast forward. The great team effort finally led the communication and brand migration to success. I was overwhelmed by the level of commitment on the weekend, even by our suppliers who did not complain but simply asked us what they should do. In no time at all, the whole team pulled together to made it happen, and we launched our global communication concept four days before planned.

It shouldn’t be forgotten that at this time we had already filed for an IPO, and after all texts in sixteen languages and for seven different target groups have been adapted, a team of eight lawyers had to sign off on all documents. Just to give you a glimpse into what we had to deal with. We managed everything in two days and nights. And though my daughter was terribly ill exactly on this weekend (Murphy’s law, right?), everything came into place.

On behalf of the management of XING, I want to thank all of our members who supported us with honest and direct feedback, criticism, acknowledgement and loyalty. I would also take the opportunity to thank the whole XING team, especially my team for their trust in following and executing the vision of our company. You all did an incredible job! Thanks again.

Charlie’s angels? Not quite, but rather three out of five of the XING Communication ladies.;)

Mr. PR Report Award himself. Five years ago, Sebastian founded the Oscars of the PR industry in Germany. Sebastian, it was a wonderful party and the organization was extremely professional! Well done

from left: Albert Armengol, Toni Salvatella and Horaci Cuevas

Albert, Toni and Horci from eConozco gladly took up our invitation to visit us in Hamburg, get to know the people behind XING and to get to know every part of the company. I took the chance to grab the friendly, busy trio for a short interview about how to crack the Spanish market, the secret to eConozco’s success and why XING and eConozco make the perfect match.

Social networking depends on the people. Would you say that in terms of culture it’s an absolutely Spanish thing?
Toni: Really it is a worldwide thing: In most cultures, networking is really a way of life, while in others it is just a professional catalyst. In Spain, it is used to build your career, usually if you are professional with a medium and high profile. Business schools and entrepreneur groups are the first social networking players and it’s easy to move them in an online platform after all.

How has the Spanish online market grown since 2003?
Toni:  The last four years has witnessed a great revolution on the Internet, which is related to both sites and people. Now we can find that a lot of new initiatives crystallizing under the Web2.0 concept, but really it is a natural evolution. After the Internet fright of 2001-2002, the Internet is maturing in leaps and bounds. In Spain the same thing happened on a small scale. Currently, the major revolution comes from users not from companies. This is what happens when you transform a push market with a pull market – each time, users demand more online services and less traditional offers.
Horaci: The Spanish online market has a medium Internet usage in European terms. I think Spain is ranked 14th when it comes to Internet usage and in fact it has a low penetration in comparison with top countries. In general, this means a great deal of potential basically because we are able to growth faster than others countries. Finally regarding the time lapse, (associated with time to start an innovation and develop technology). Spain is reducing this gap between the top countries such as USA, UK, Germany and France from 3-4 years to 1-2 years.

How did social networking for business professionals develop in Spain?
Toni: At the beginning it was an innovator market: plenty of geeks, bloggers and early adaptors of technology. We started educating people in Spain and after some media press and journalists news the markets started to growth by itself. The markets started with local focus but now it’s expanding to international sites. The barriers are low and a lot of people know the phenomenon of social networking and its benefits. In fact, almost all Internet users have their own profile online. There are two key aspects: On the one hand, it’s a collective more than individual movement. This means that you need to attract a prescription figure or an opinion leader and then all their mates follow them. You need to concentrate your efforts on all these people who have the potential to become heavy users of the platform. On the other hand, it’s more useful to have more people density in your local area/city than to have many potential users spread around the globe.

The world is becoming flat and local businesses are now increasingly experiencing aspects of globalization as well. Is the working and business environment changing in Spain?
Albert: Definitely! The way people work is changing, and the old ways of doing business are becoming outdated really fast. New opportunities arise everywhere, and it's important to be fast to beat your competition. Spain is a country that had a cheap workforce in the past, but now there are better places for that, and companies are taking advantage of it. Apart from that, many people from around Europe, especially young professionals, are relocating to Spanish cities, and working worldwide from there while they take advantage of the Spanish way of life :)

Horaci: Spain has always had strong cultural and business relations with Latin America, and Spain is the bridge to Europe for Latin American professionals. There is great communication between both groups of professionals on eConozco, and they take great advantage of the possibilities that Internet networking platforms give to them – something that was unimaginable less than a decade ago.

“Small but flexible” – Is this the philosophy behind what has made eConozco successful?
Toni: Yes, but in terms of surviving long-term projects. In Spain, it’s hard to raise capital. If you don’t have enough funds or a partnership with a big group, you should keep your team small: the method of taking on into less risks and entering fast into new markets or trends. The smaller you are, the faster you can go in.

Horaci: We’ve tried to keep eConozco simple and focused on it’s core use: letting our users contact in a professional context. Without a lot of resources, you should compete making the most out of your skills, and then a little but talented team can make the difference.

How did you manage to keep your clear focus on business professionals?
Albert: The features and design are important, and so are the messages you transmit. The feeling that the website transmits is important to define who may be interested and more importantly, who is not interested in a professionally oriented social network. And, of course, the people. It's all about the people, isn't it? ;) If you perform a search and find highly-skilled professionals in your town, with great profiles and years of experience, then you stick to the site.

The XING brand is very powerful because our members actively use the platform as an effective tool, recommend it to their peer group and encourage us to keep on pursuing the path of innovation. What makes eConozco members special?
Albert: eConozco members are proactively finding new people or reconnecting with old colleagues, and they really like it, recommending the site to their current colleagues and friends far more than for curiosity’s sake, but explaining to them the potential of an online business networking tool. Trust is what makes a professional online network succeed, and we were surprised when reading stories about people calling their friends by phone and explaining the benefits of joining the network, how it worked for them, etc.

Is this the reason why XING and eConozco make a perfect match?
Albert: Sure! Both sites are perceived as really professionally oriented, and are used for real business purposes, and that makes a difference in the Internet social networking space.

Toni: There is also another aspect to understanding the match. We share a vision with XING – networking is more than a recruiting tool.

Horaci: And we both have green logos now too!

Thank you very much.

Albert, Toni y Horaci

¿ Las redes sociales dependen de las personas ¿crees que como fenómeno cultural se trata de algo específicamente español?
Toni: En realidad, es un fenómeno global: en la mayoría de las culturas, las redes sociales son parte de la vida diaria, en tanto que en otras son simplemente catalizadores profesionales. En España, se suelen utilizar para forjarse una carrera, sobre todo si uno es un profesional de perfil medio o alto. Las escuelas de negocios y los grupos de empresarios juegan un papel primordial en estas redes sociales y no resulta difícil que formen parte de una plataforma online.

¿Cuál ha sido el crecimiento del mercado online español desde 2003?
Toni: En los últimos cuatro años se ha experimentado una auténtica revolución en Internet, relacionada tanto con las personas como con los sitios Web. Ahora podemos ver que muchas iniciativas cristalizan bajo el concepto de Web 2.0, pero se trata de una evolución natural. Después de la “crisis” de 2001-2002, Internet ha madurado a un ritmo veloz. Esto ha sucedido también en España, en menor escala. Actualmente, la verdadera revolución se está dando en los usuarios y no en las empresas. Esto suele pasar cuando se transforma un mercado “push” en un mercado “pull”: los usuarios demandan cada vez más servicios online y menos ofertas tradicionales.

Horaci: El uso de Internet en el mercado online español se sitúa en la zona media en términos europeos. Creo que España está en el puesto decimocuarto en cuanto a uso de Internet y, de hecho, tiene un índice bajo si se le compara con los países de mayor uso. En general, esto significa un enorme potencial porque podemos crecer más rápidamente que otros países. Finalmente, con relación al “time lapse” (asociado con el tiempo que requiere el desarrollo de tecnología y la puesta en marcha de una innovación). España está reduciendo la brecha con respecto a países líderes como EE.UU., Reino Unido, Alemania y Francia, de 3-4 años a 1-2 años.

¿Cómo se han desarrollado las redes sociales para los profesionales de la empresa en España?
Toni: Al principio era un mercado innovador: muchos “geeks”, blogueros y gente que adoptaba la tecnología con rapidez. Empezamos haciendo algo de pedagogía y después de algunas notas de prensa y noticias en los medios, el mercado comenzó a crecer por sí solo. Los mercados empezaron con un enfoque local, pero ahora se están expandiendo al ámbito internacional. Los obstáculos son mínimos, y el fenómeno de las redes sociales y sus ventajas son ya de dominio público. De hecho, casi todos los usuarios de Internet tienen su propio perfil en la red. Existen dos factores clave: Por un lado, se trata de un movimiento colectivo y no solamente individual. Esto significa que para atraer a un grupo de personas, es necesario atraer primero a un líder de opinión o a una figura de peso.  Hay que centrar los esfuerzos en todas esas personas que tienen el potencial de convertirse en usuarios avanzados de la plataforma. Por otro lado, resulta más útil tener una mayor densidad de población en la ciudad o área local que tener muchos usuarios potenciales dispersos en todo el planeta.

El mundo se hace cada vez más pequeño y ahora muchas empresas locales deben asumir y afrontar también los aspectos de la globalización ¿está cambiando el entorno empresarial y laboral en España?

Albert: Sin duda. La forma de trabajar está cambiando y el modo tradicional de hacer negocios parece cada vez más anticuado. Surgen nuevas oportunidades en todos los lugares y la rapidez resulta esencial para competir. En el pasado, España era un país con mano de obra barata, pero ahora ésta se puede conseguir mejor en otros lugares y las empresas lo saben. Aparte de esto, muchas personas de toda Europa, especialmente los jóvenes profesionales, están mudándose a ciudades españolas. Desde aquí, pueden trabajar a nivel global y, al mismo tiempo, disfrutar de la forma de vida española :)

Horaci: España siempre ha tenido una relación cultural y empresarial muy estrecha con Latinoamérica, y es el puente hacia Europa para los profesionales latinoamericanos. En eConozco, hay una amplia comunicación entre ambos grupos de profesionales. Consiguen grandes ventajas de las posibilidades que brindan las plataformas de redes sociales de Internet, algo que hace una década era inimaginable.

“Pequeño, pero flexible” ¿es ésta la filosofía que respalda el éxito de eConozco?
Toni: Así es, pero con el objetivo de afrontar proyectos a largo plazo. En España, no es fácil reunir capital. Si no tienes suficientes fondos ni estás asociado con un gran grupo, es necesario mantener un equipo pequeño: es el método para asumir menores riesgos y entrar con rapidez en nuevos mercados o tendencias. Cuanto más pequeño se es, más rápido puede uno moverse.

Horaci: Hemos tratado de mantener eConozco centrado en su uso principal: permitir a nuestros usuarios establecer contactos en un contexto profesional. Si no dispones de grandes recursos, debes competir utilizando al máximo tus capacidades; aquí, un equipo pequeño, pero de alta cualificación, puede crear la diferencia.

¿Cómo han hecho para mantener como mercado objetivo a los profesionales de la empresa?
Albert: Las funciones y el diseño son factores importantes, y también el mensaje que se transmite. La imagen y la orientación del sitio web resultan esenciales para definir qué público puede estar interesado en una red social profesional y, sobre todo, qué público no lo está. Y también, por supuesto, las personas. Todo tiene que ver con las personas ¿no es así? ;) Si haces una búsqueda y encuentras profesionales altamente cualificados en tu ciudad, con excelentes perfiles y años de experiencia, quiere decir que el sitio te conviene.

La marca XING tiene una gran fuerza porque sus usuarios usan la plataforma como una herramienta eficaz, la recomiendan a sus compañeros de trabajo y amigos, y fomenta la innovación continua. ¿Qué es lo que hace especiales a los miembros de eConozco?
Albert: Los miembros de eConozco buscan de forma activa nuevos contactos o vuelven a conectar con antiguos compañeros. Les gusta la plataforma y la recomiendan a sus colegas de trabajo y amigos no sólo por curiosidad, sino explicándoles el potencial de una herramienta online de redes empresariales. La confianza es la clave del éxito de una red profesional y aún nos sorprende escuchar historias sobre usuarios que llaman a sus amigos y les explican las ventajas de unirse a esta red, cómo han logrado cosechar éxitos a través de ella, etc.

¿Crees que es la razón por la cual XING y eConozco hacen una pareja perfecta?
Albert: Así es. Ambos sitios tienen una clara orientación profesional y se utilizan para hacer negocios en el mundo real. Eso hace la diferencia dentro del ámbito de las redes sociales de Internet.

Toni: Hay otro aspecto que refuerza esta unión. Compartimos la misma visión que XING: una red social es mucho más que una herramienta de selección de personal.

Horaci: ¡Y ambos tenemos logotipos de color verde!

Muchas gracias.

We have been using a video conferencing system to connect with our team in Zurich for quite a while now. And just recently we've discovered how well it works for China too. It still feels like a miracle of modern technology to not only to hear but also see your colleagues on the other side of the world and actually take part in the same real-time, face-to-face meeting. Here you can see Country Manager Dr. Xinyu Song and his team listening to Sönke from BizDev in Hamburg, Germany. The photo was taken during our last company meeting. 

With our team becoming more and more international, I guess we will be using our video conferencing system more extensively in the future. Can’t wait to welcome our team from Spain on the screen.

What do XING and a walk-in refrigerator have in common? At first glance, not a lot. However, Paul’s experience proves that appearances are often misleading. See for yourself how he used the XING platform to get brisk results:

In the summer of 2006, I needed a walk-in refrigerator for fruit, and I needed it fast. Using XING’s search feature, I quickly found 20 industry specialists, and was able to send requests to each supplier. Just two hours later, the first concrete offers were on my desk. Thanks to XING, I was able to place an order for just the right walk-in refrigerator the same day. I was amazed, firstly because all the companies reacted so quickly, and secondly because I was able to find the perfect supplier. If I had not searched on XING, it’s unlikely that I would have found a deal as quickly or at such a low price.

Warm thanks to Paul, and congratulations on this invigorating success story!

Did you notice?

New on XING: We´re unveiling the contacts of your contacts. As from now you can benefit from the potential of your 3rd degree.

Thomas Crampton, International Herald Tribune, about the social network as digital friend - from a European point of view.

The ideal social network should work as a computer-enhanced friend that suggests people you ought to know," said Lars Hinrichs, the founder of the Xing social network, based in Hamburg. "Networks are filled with people who would be connected to one another if they knew their own common interests.

We are moving towards a project economy where people operate as free agents and have less reliance on companies," Hinrichs said. "In this environment, networks will become the tool for linking people.

In such an environment, the value of social networks rises over time, Hinrichs added, since their members would be vital for involvement in future projects.

The need to control your Google profile and digital identity will only grow over time," Hinrichs said. "The value of networks will also increase.

I am currently in the States on a Press and Analyst-Tour. Lots of interviews today and tomorrow in New York and the first  interview with Gregg Greenberg is already "on air".

For all our members who are going to be celebrating Easter: We wish you all tons of fun looking for your Easter eggs, relaxing with family and friends and generally enjoying your days off.

Here in the office the team has already had a visit from the Easter bunny - as you can see from the ipod, this year in extra large! Wishing all you chocoholics out there a particularly enjoyable weekend :-)

We’ve finally made it: the annual report for the short financial year 2006 is going to press today. In its 92 pages, the report details our activities over the past year and provides lots of information beyond the financial data. The print version is available at the end of April, until then you can download a PDF version from the IR website.

Here you can see us at work at one of the countless feedback rounds:

I simply love the new work our marketing folks launched for America and India recently. It´s not only well thought-out, it´s also fun to use.

Find.out.who´s.already.working.in.your.future.company.

Brand new features: we’re excited to introduce two new options to make your network on XING more valuable and more fun. With just one click in the profile of a contact you can see exactly where they are located.

The more information they have included in their contact details, assuming that they’ve released their data to you, the easier it will be to find them.

What’s more, there’s also the new feature “show route”. For all spontaneous and decisive XINGsters we are now showing the street map connections between two members.

That´s networking in action!